Pakistan hangs man who was 15 when arrested

Pakistan has hanged a man who was reportedly a juvenile at the time he allegedly committed murder. The execution is in violation of international and Pakistani law.

Deutsche Welle, 29 Sep 2015

Ansar Iqbal, who claimed he was only 15-years-old when he allegedly committed a murder he says he did not commit, was executed Tuesday morning.

Iqbal had said policed framed him and a friend in the murder of his neighbor 16 years ago.

Pakistani and international law prohibits the execution of someone who committed a crime as a minor, but the court reviewing his case failed to examine his school records or birth certificate.

Pakistani authorities only issued Iqbal a birth certificate this year, showing he was 15 at the time of the murder. Saying the submission of the birth certificate was too late, the court reportedly relied on statements of police officers who guessed his age at 22-23.

Some 73 percent of Pakistanis are not registered at birth, according to the British legal aid group Reprieve, which sought to stop the execution.

"This means that it is almost impossible to prove the age of most of the 8,000 prisoners on Pakistan's death row," Reprieve said in a petition urging a stay of execution. "Many of them may have been arrested and sentenced to death as children, but there is often no way for them to prove it."

Pakistan has executed 239 people, including three people convicted as juveniles, since a moratorium on executions was lifted following last December's Taliban attack on a school in Peshawar that killed nearly 150 people. However, many of these executions have been for murder as opposed to terrorism.

Human rights groups have broadly protested the resumption of executions, which disproportionately target the underprivileged.

The country's justice system is marked by systemic corruption, and according to the UN is lacking in proper systems for investigation, crime scene management and forensics.

cw/msh (AP, Reuters)

'Everyone has accepted' Assad should stay: Rouhani

Yahoo –  AFP, 27 Sep 2015

Iran's president Hassan Rouhani arrives to speak at the United Nations Sustainable
Development Summit on September 26, 2015 (AFP Photo/Timothy A. Clary)

New York (AFP) - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Sunday he saw a widespread acceptance among major powers that Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad should stay in office.

"I think today everyone has accepted that President Assad must remain so that we can combat the terrorists," Rouhani told CNN.

Iran and Russia are the key allies of Assad, who has faced Western demands that he step down amid a war that has killed more than 240,000 people and caused four million to flee.

But the United States has been hitting Islamic State extremists opposed to Assad, with France on Sunday launching its first strike.

"In Syria, when our first objective is to drive out terrorists and combatting terrorists to defeat them, we have no solution other than to strengthen the central authority and the central government of that country as a central seat of power," said Rouhani, who is visiting New York for the UN General Assembly.

Iran's Shiite clerical regime has voiced concern over a future without Assad, a largely secular leader from the heterodox Alawite movement.

But Rouhani said he also saw a future role for opponents of Assad.

"As soon as this movement reaches the various levels of success and starts driving out the terrorists on a step-by-step basis, then other plans must be put into action so as to hear the voices of the opposition as well," Rouhani said.

The reform-minded Rouhani has reached a landmark denuclearization accord with major powers, a step in reconciliation with the United States, the traditional bugbear of Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution.

But Rouhani said that Iran was not in direct talks about Syria with the United States.

Singapore moves against Indonesian firms over haze

Yahoo – AFP, 26 Sep 2015

The Fullerton Hotel is blanketed in thick haze, in Singapore, on September 24,

2015 (AFP Photo/Roslan Rahman)

Singapore (AFP) - Singapore has launched legal action that could lead to massive fines against Indonesian companies blamed for farm and plantation fires spewing unhealthy levels of air pollution over the city-state.

Five Indonesian companies including multinational Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) have been served with legal notices, according to a Singapore government statement issued late Friday.

The move followed a bitter diplomatic spat over Indonesia's failure to stop a severe outbreak of smoky haze which has also affected Malaysia and persisted for years.

APP, part of Indonesia's Sinar Mas conglomerate, is one of the world's largest pulp and paper groups and publicly upholds "sustainability" and forest conservation as core principles. Its products include stationery and toilet paper.

APP was asked by Singapore's National Environment Agency to supply information on its subsidiaries operating in Singapore and Indonesia, as well as measures taken by its suppliers in Indonesia to put out fires in their concessions.

The group, which has paper mills in Indonesia and China, did not immediately reply when asked by AFP for comment.

Under a 2014 law called the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, Singapore can impose a fine of Sg$100,000 ($70,000) for each day that a local or foreign company contributes to unhealthy levels of haze pollution in Singapore, subject to a maximum total of Sg$2.0 million.

Singapore is located near Indonesia's vast Sumatra island, where fires have traditionally been set off by farmers and plantations to clear land for cultivation.

Four other Indonesian companies -- Rimba Hutani Mas, Sebangun Bumi Andalas Wood Industries, Bumi Sriwijaya Sentosa and Wachyuni Mandira -- have been told to take measures to extinguish fires on their land, refrain from starting new ones, and submit action plans to prevent future fires.

Sinar Mas is also involved in palm oil production, an industry widely blamed for forest fires in Indonesia.

In its statement issued Friday, the Singapore government said it was "examining how to apply more economic pressure against errant companies," including a review of its own procurement policies.

A soldier inspects a peatland forest on fire in Kampar district, Riau province, 
on Indonesia's Sumatra island, on August 7, 2015 (AFP Photo/Alfachrozie)

Singapore's Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said the haze problem has lasted "for far too long".

"This is not a natural disaster. Haze is a man-made problem that should not be tolerated. It has caused major impact on the health, society and economy of our region," he said in the statement.

Singapore declared emergency shutdowns of elementary and high schools on Friday after the air pollutant index hit "hazardous" levels.

It eased to "moderate" levels on Saturday but a shift in wind direction can quickly change the situation.

The current haze outbreak is the worst since mid-2013. The recurring crisis grips Southeast Asia nearly every year during the dry season.

Singapore officials have reacted with outrage to Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla's comments that Indonesia's neighbours should be grateful for good air quality most of the year, and that Jakarta need not apologise for the crisis.

Indonesia has previously said that Singapore-based companies were among those responsible for the blazes.

About 3,000 troops and police have been sent to Sumatra to fight the fires, with Indonesian authorities saying last week that it would take a month to bring them under control.

Obama, Xi agree on climate but clash on rights, islands

Yahoo – AFP, Jerome Cartillier, 25 Sep 2015

US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping hold a joint

-press conference in the Rose Garden as part of a State Visit at the White

House in Washington, DC, September 25, 2015 (AFP Photo/Saul Loeb)

Washington (AFP) - US President Barack Obama and China's Xi Jinping vowed to fight global warming and halt commercial cyber-theft on Friday, but exchanged sharp words on human rights and territorial disputes.

At an extraordinary joint news conference, Obama chided China on its treatment of dissidents and insisted hacking attacks on US firms must stop, even as he thanked Xi for his commitment on climate change.

The world's top two economic powers are also its biggest polluters, and campaigners hailed their joint commitment to reduce emissions as a key step towards a global climate pact before the end of the year.

US President Barack Obama (R) and 

Chinese President Xi Jinping hold a

 meeting in the Oval Office of the

 White House in Washington, DC,

 September 25, 2015 (AFP Photo/

Saul Loeb)

This achievement was all the more remarkable given the tensions between the rival great powers over industrial espionage and China's aggressive moves to seize disputed territory in the South China Sea.

The red carpet and full ceremonial honors that welcomed Xi to the White House underlined the importance of the great powers' relationship, but the leaders made no effort to conceal the differences between them.

"We had a frank discussion about human rights as we have in the past," Obama said, branding China's authoritarian treatment of political dissidents and religious or regional minorities "problematic."

Provocatively, Obama directly cited the name of Beijing's number one bugbear -- the Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan Buddhist leader seen by China as a criminal separatist -- at the leaders' joint press conference.

"Even as we recognize Tibet as part of the People's Republic of China, we continue to encourage Chinese authorities to preserve the religious and cultural identity of the Tibetan people and to engage the Dalai Lama or his representatives," Obama said.

The two delegations issued a joint promise not to spy on each other's private enterprises for commercial gain, but here again, Obama used tough language, declaring: "I indicated it has to stop."

Xi protested that "China strongly opposes and combats the theft of commercial secrets and other kinds of hacking attacks."

Disputed islands

The Chinese leader also firmly pushed back on human rights criticism, warning reform would come on China's own timetable and without undermining its stability.

US President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping review the troops 

during a State Arrival ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House in 

Washington, DC, September 25, 2015 (AFP Photo/Saul Loeb)

"We must recognize that countries have different historical processes and realities, that we need to respect people of all countries in the rights to choose their own development path independently," he said.

There was also a sharp exchange of views over China's bid to extend its sovereignty over the South China Sea by building bases on reclaimed islands in areas disputed by Washington's southeast Asian allies.

"Islands in the South China Sea, since ancient times, are China's territory," Xi declared. "We have the right to uphold our own territorial sovereignty and lawful and legitimate maritime rights and interests."

Obama said the disputes must be settled in accordance with international statutes, saying: "I encouraged a resolution between claimants in these areas. We are not a claimant. We just want to make sure that the rules of the road are upheld."

Against this background of discord, the agreement on climate change -- both countries signed a "joint vision" ahead of December's UN climate summit in Paris, and China committed to a domestic "cap and trade" carbon exchange -- was all the more remarkable.

China will also set aside $3.1 billion as a fund to help developing countries fight climate change.

"If the world's two largest economies, energy consumers and carbon emitters come together like this, then there is no reason for other countries, whether developed or developing, to not do so as well," Obama said.

Environmental campaigners hailed the announcement.

US President Barack Obama (right) with Chinese President Xi Jinping, 

First Lady Michelle Obama and Madame Peng Liyuan (left) wave during a 

welcome ceremony at the White House in Washington for the first state visit 

on September 25, 2015 (AFP Photo/Yuri Gripas)

Rhea Suh, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council, said the United States and others should take inspiration from the Chinese measures.

"This is strong medicine. China is promising decisive action," she said. "It lays to rest the flawed argument that Chinese pollution is an excuse for US inaction."

Out of kilter

Xi is seen in Washington as one of the strongest Chinese leaders in decades.

Even as the Chinese economy has slowed -- calling into question Xi and the Communist Party's technocratic bona fides -- the president has tightened his grip on power.

But his assertiveness has fueled a host of disputes that US officials say risk throwing the delicately balanced relationship out of kilter.

"At any one time we are cooperating and competing," said one senior US administration official.

"What we strive for is to make sure that competition doesn't define the relationship and that competition is taking place in a way that is healthy and is fair."

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Pope calls for global abolition of death penalty

The Strait Times – AFP, 24 Sep 2015

Pope Francis addresses a joint meeting of the U.S. Congress in the House
Chamber on Capitol Hill in Washington on Sept 24, 2015.PHOTO: Reuters

WASHINGTON (AFP) - Pope Francis on Thursday (Sept 24) called for the global abolition of the death penalty before lawmakers in the United States, where capital punishment is still practiced in several states.

"The Golden Rule also reminds us of our responsibility to protect and defend human life at every stage of its development," Pope said in his speech to Congress.

"This conviction has led me, from the beginning of my ministry, to advocate at different levels for the global abolition of the death penalty. I am convinced that this way is the best, since every life is sacred," he added.

"I also offer encouragement to all those who are convinced that a just and necessary punishment must never exclude the dimension of hope and the goal of rehabilitation."

#UPDATE Pope calls for global abolition of death penalty in speech to US Congress http://t.co/9MzsVELMbY pic.twitter.com/EwGnUgMh7V

— Agence France-Presse (@AFP) 24 september 2015

Putin denounces 'IS' during reopening of Moscow mosque

Russian President Vladimir Putin has delivered a speech at the opening of the country's largest mosque. He sought to promote the positive values of Islam, but also to codemn extremist violence.

Deutsche Welle, 23 Sep 2015

Putin oversees opening of new mosque

Vladimir Putin, concerned about the growing number of Russian-speaking citizens joining the ranks of the self-styled "Islamic State" (IS) terrorist group fighting in Syria and Iraq, on Wednesday painted jihadism as a distortion of Islamic values and the opening of the new mosque as a positive outlet for Russian Muslims.

"We see what is happening in the Middle East where terrorists from the so-called Islamic State group are compromising a great world religion, compromising Islam, in order to sow hate," he said at the site of the newly reopened Moscow Cathedral Mosque.

The speech, which was delivered just a day before the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, also emphasized the mosque's role as a spiritual center for Russians. "It will be a source for education, spreading humanist ideas and the true values of Islam," Putin said.

Among those in attendance were Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was set to meet with Putin later that day to discuss the conflict in the Middle East and specifically in Syria. Concern has grown among world leaders regarding Russia's role in war-torn Syria, with the United States recently accusing Putin of sending troops and military equipment to his embattled ally, President Bashar al-Assad. Turkey, meanwhile, has been highly critical Assad during the country's civil war.

In addition to the estimated 2,000 Russian speakers who have traveled to the Middle East to fight alongside IS, Moscow has also been fighting an Islamic insurgency in the restless Caucusus region in the south.

The Moscow mosque was originally built in the early 1900s, and then demolished in 2011. The reconstruction, which cost $170 million (152 million euros), drew controversy after another mosque was demolished in order to make room for it. One of the largest mosques in Europe, it will be able to accomodate an estimated 10,000 people.

bc/msh (dpa, AFP, AP)

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‘Iran is indispensable in a difficult region,’ says Dutch minister in Teheran

DutchNews, September 21, 2015

Iran is keen to leave the past behind and restore the good relationship it had with the Netherlands, Iran’s foreign affairs minister Mohammed Javad Zarif said on Sunday during a meeting with Dutch foreign minister Bert Koenders in Teheran. 

Koenders arrived in Iran at the weekend in what is the first visit by a Dutch minister in 14 years. 

According to the NRC, Zarif said the oil and gas industry, water sector and farming are all areas which offer prospects to Dutch companies. He also said he regretted the fact that the long relationship between the two counties had suffered because of sanctions. 

According to news agency ANP, the two countries have had a diplomatic relationship for 390 years. 

At a press conference after their meeting, Koenders said the Netherlands is keen to strengthen economic, political and cultural ties between the two countries ‘on equitable terms’.

In addition, he said that Iran is ‘indispensible’ in a ‘very difficult region in which we have to find peace and stability’.  ‘I also welcome the involvement of the Iranian government in trying to engage in productive talks… on issues like Syria and Yemen,’ the Dutch minister said. 

Zarif also said the Netherlands will have an important role to play in the implementation of the newly-signed nuclear agreement in its role as president of the EU in the first half of next year, the NRC reports.

Minister Koenders is in Teheran vandaag. Voor het eerst sinds 14 jaar dat een Nederlandse minister in Iran is. pic.twitter.com/xEB5vGIdmw

— Thomas Erdbrink (@ThomasErdbrink) 20 september 2015

Nepal adopts new secular constitution amid violent protests

Nepal has adopted a new constitution amid violent protests against some of its terms. The much-delayed constitution aims at strengthening the transformation of the country from a Hindu monarchy to a secular democracy.

Deutsche Welle, 20 Sep 2015

A Nepalese police officer stands guard in front of the parliament building in

Kathmandu (Photo: PRAKASH MATHEMA/AFP/Getty Images)

  

On Sunday, President Ram Baran Yadav signed the first Nepalese constitution drafted by elected representatives of the country.

"I announce the presented constitution of Nepal, passed by the Constituent Assembly and authenticated by the chairman of the Constituent Assembly, effective from today, September 20, 2015, before the people of Nepal," Yadav announced, setting off a roar of applause from the assembly members in the capital Kathmandu.

"We believe that the adoption of the new constitution has now opened the path for development of the country," Yadav said.

The new Nepalese constitution replaces an interim charter, which was originally meant to last for only two years, but has governed the nation since 2007 due to the failure of the country's lawmakers to agree on a permanent draft.

After years of political deadlock, Nepalese lawmakers approved the charter on Wednesday despite weeks of violent protests against plans to divide the Himalayan nation of 28 million people into seven federal states.

The new constitution is secular in nature and guarantees Nepalese citizens the right to practice any religion.

Hundreds of people celebrated the adoption of the new constitution on the streets of Kathmandu.

"This really long chapter is not finally closed," Syham Sharma, a student, said. "Now the country can focus on other important issues like developing the country, improving the economy. If these politicians had agreed a few years back, we would not have wasted so much time, energy and money," he added.

Nepali police killed a four-year-old boy
 and three others after opening fire on
 protesters on Wednesday

Ethnic reservations

But not everyone in Nepal supports the new constitution, pushed through mainly by the country's three major political parties.

Security was beefed up across the country on Sunday, as a number of political and ethnic groups appose the new document, especially in Nepal's southern regions amid concerns over how the state borders should be defined. Some 100 ethnic groups in Nepal claim the new constitution limits their representation.

At least one protester was shot dead by the police on Sunday in the southern district of Parsa. More than 40 people have been killed in clashes between the security forces and demonstrators opposing the constitution.

Lasman Lal Karna, a leader of the Madhesi ethnic group in southern Nepal, said the new document failed to address a number of concerns. He warned the protest would continue.

But Prime Minister Sushil Koirala said Saturday the size and make up of the states was not a big issue.

Other major parties say the contentious issues could be fixed later.

"The constitution is not something that cannot be absolutely changed. It can always be amended later when needed," said Khadga Prasad Oli of the Communist Party of Nepal (Marxist-Leninist).

In 2008, Nepal began the process of drafting a new constitution following a decade-long Maoist insurgency. The civil war cost the lives of an estimated 16,000 people, and brought down the country's centuries-old Hindu monarchy.

shs/sgb (AFP, AP)

Boost for women in Australian cabinet reshuffle

New Australian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull has appointed several women to his cabinet in a reshuffle aimed at healing party divisions after the ouster of Tony Abbott. But a number of portfolios remained unchanged.

Deutsche Welle, 20 Sep 2015

Liberal Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Sunday announced a new cabinet following the ouster of Tony Abbott almost a week ago in an internal party vote.

The reshuffle sees five women taking or retaining key portfolios. Among other things, Maris Payne has been appointed as the country's first-ever female defense minister, taking over from Kevin Andrews, and Michaelia Cash has received the job of Employment Minister, replacing Eric Abetz.

Abbott had just two women in his Cabinet, and had faced much criticism for policies seen as disadvantaging women, including cutting funds to shelters and domestic violence programs.

In a major change, Treasurer Joe Hockey was relegated to the back bench, with former Social Services Minister Scott Morrison moving into the breach.

Turnbull said the widely unpopular Hockey would leave politics.

Loyalty rewarded

Turnbull also gave important roles to some of his main supporters, with Arthur Sinodinos receiving the job of cabinet secretary, a post that gives considerable influence within the government, and Scott Ryan becoming his assistant.

However, a key Abbott faithful, Peter Dutton, will retain his job as immigration minister.

Other senior posts also remained unchanged, including the foreign ministry, which stays in the hands of Julie Bishop, and the environment ministry, with Greg Hunt still in command.

Julie Bishop remains Australia's top
diplomat

The new cabinet is expected to be sworn in on Monday.

Winds of change?

Turnbull after Abbott was dumped last Monday following a term in office characterized by a series of gaffes and perceived policy missteps.

Unlike Abbott, he supports same-sex marriage and action on climate change.

A millionaire former investment banker, Turnbull also enjoys considerable popularity in the business community and wider electorate, but is regarded with considerable misgivings by some right-wing members of his ruling coalition.

The Liberal Party and its junior coalition partner the National Party won a landslide victory in 2013 elections under Abbott on pledges to restore stability after the previous Labor government showed a marked propensity for infighting and internal division.

The next elections are expected next year.

tj/rc (Reuters, dpa)

Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh accepts the Insignia of a Knight of the Order of 

Australia from Queen Elizabeth as Australian High Commissioner Alexander Downer

looks on at Windsor Castle on April 22, 2015 (AFP Photo/John Stillwell)

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Cambodian PM backs Angelina Jolie's Khmer Rouge film

Yahoo – AFP, 17 Sep 2015

US actress Angelina Jolie (R) shakes hands with Cambodian Prime Minister Hun
 Sen during a meeting at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh on September 17, 2015
(AFP Photo/Tang Chhin Sothy)

Cambodian premier Hun Sen on Thursday voiced his support for Hollywood star Angelina Jolie's upcoming film about the murderous Khmer Rouge regime after the pair met in Phnom Penh.

The actress-turned-director is adapting "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers", a memoir by Cambodian rights activist Loung Ung about surviving the communist regime.

In its quest for an agrarian Marxist utopia, the brutal Khmer Rouge killed up to two million Cambodians between 1975-1979 by starvation, overwork or outright execution.

Hun Sen said the film "reflects facts in Cambodia and will be a way for younger generations to understand the country", the prime minister's spokesman Eang Sophalleth told reporters after the meeting.

Jolie has previously said the film helped her draw closer to the people of Cambodia, the homeland of Maddox, her adopted son with megastar husband Brad Pitt.

She will direct and produce the film for streaming giant Netflix from a script she co-wrote with Ung, while acclaimed Cambodian director Rithy Panh will also serve as a producer.

After two top regime leaders were last year sentenced to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity, Hun Sen -- a former mid-ranking Khmer Rouge cadre before he defected -- spoke out against further prosecutions, warning it risked reigniting conflict.

Former "Brother Number Two" in the Khmer Rouge Nuon Chea, 89, and ex-head of state Khieu Samphan, 84, are appealing their landmark 2014 convictions by Cambodia's UN-backed court.

They are also undergoing a second trial for genocide, centred on the killing of ethnic Vietnamese and Muslim minorities, forced marriage and rape.

"Brother Number One" Pol Pot died in 1998 without ever facing justice.

In March the tribunal charged three more former Khmer Rouge members with crimes against humanity, ignoring the warnings by Hun Sen.

Australia-Indonesia Relations Likely to Improve After Abbott Exodus

Jakarta Globe, Erin Cook, September 2015

An anti-Tony Abbott protester attends a demonstration at the Australian
embassy, South Jakarta, earlier this year. (Reuters Photo/Beawiharta)

Jakarta. An expected foreign policy pivot under the guidance of new prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, will see Australia pay particular attention to mending and maintaining relations with China and Indonesia, regional pundits have predicted.

Turnbull, who rose to the country’s top job after trumping former prime minister Tony Abbott in a party room vote late Monday night, has been a long term supporter of Asian business in Australia and a vocal advocate of the China Australia Free Trade Agreement.

While Turnbull has indicated continued support for the “boat turn backs” policy, which sees asylum seekers entering Australian waters towed into Indonesian waters by local law enforcement, experts have suggested his style of diplomacy may weather the controversy better than that of his predecessor.

Evi Fitrani, international relations head at the University of Indonesia heralded the change of leadership as a likely improvement to relations.

"Even though Malcolm Turnbull hasn't made any statement about foreign policy yet ... judging from his personality — judging from Abbott's personality at least — we think we will deal more communicatively and maybe in a better situation and better environment with this kind of leader," she said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Sydney-based Tom Wheelwright, a managing director of BowerGroup Asia focusing on government relations in the region, told ChannelNews Asia that Turnbull’s pragmatic and respectful style will likely be welcomed by his Asian counterparts.

“The big change we’ll see is that there will be no more three-word slogans to confuse or irritate our Asian neighbors,” he said.

“I think we’ll see more substance to foreign policy and I think Julie Bishop will have a stronger hand with foreign policy and less interference from domestic considerations.”

Bishop is tipped to retain her role as Foreign Minister under the new leader, a move likely to be welcomed across the region. Bishop and her Indonesian counterpart, Retno Marsudi, met in August for the first time after the Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Paul Grigson, was recalled in response to the April execution of two Australian drug traffickers. Grigson returned to Jakarta in June.

After a private meeting on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) foreign ministers conference in Kuala Lumpur on on Aug. 6, both ministers welcomed a return to warm relations.

Abbott’s time at the helm is marred by a series of events marking a particularly tumultuous period in the Australia-Indonesia relationship, from a phone hacking scandal targeting Indonesia’s political leaders to the #CoinsforAbbott campaign which saw thousands collect rupiah coins to “pay back” Australian aid to Indonesia after the then-prime minister linked the 2004 Aceh tsunami to the Bali Nine executions.

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Niger's Muslims and Christians join forces for peace

Yahoo – AFP, Boureima Hama, 15 Sep 2015

Bishop Laurent Lompo (R) leads a procession on April 4, 2015 in Niamey (AFP

Photo/Boureima Hama)

Niamey (AFP) - Eight months after Muslims rioted in Niger at a cost of 10 lives and many burned churches, efforts are afoot to mend ties with the Christian minority in the west African country.

The rampage was triggered in January when radical Muslims angered by caricatures of the Prophet Mohamed in French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo killed 12 people in an assault on the magazine's Paris offices.

In Niger, hundreds of Muslims took to the streets, clashing with police and razing 45 churches, five hotels, as well as bars and schools run by Christians. The French cultural centre in the second city, Zinder, was also set alight.

Bishop Laurent Lompo (L) and the

 imam of Niamey's great mosque Jabirou

 Ismael, pictured on April 3, 2015 in 

Niamey (AFP Photo/Boureima Hama)

Muslims make up about 98 percent of the 17 million population in the deeply poor, landlocked nation south of the Sahara. Until the riots, they lived in peace with the small Christian minority.

However, the threat of armed Islamist activity is present both in the north, where Niger is prey to Al-Qaeda-linked groups in the desert, and the south, which has been attacked by Boko Haram fundamentalists from neighbouring Nigeria.

'Value of living together'

Leaders of both faiths have been striving to restore strong community bonds by means of an inter-religious dialogue backed by a plan to "renew the value of living together" (REVE) funded by the European Union.

The aid organisation CARE International, based in the United States, is overseeing the REVE project "to prevent violence" on the ground and "strengthen peaceful coexistence", according to CARE chief in Niamey, Ibrahim Niandou.

"Committees for dialogue" have already been set up in the country's eight regions and their members reflect all religious tendencies, including "the most radical ones", Niandou said.

"Christians and Muslims mutually enlighten each other for better peaceful coexistence according to the recommendations of the Bible and the Koran," the national CARE chief added.

"It has become necessary... that really different religions, leaders of different religions, meet to talk," says Boubacar Seydou Toure, an influential member of the Islamic Association of Niger (AIN), the biggest such body and one of the oldest.

"You know what has happened over the past months in our country, and it is really down to misunderstanding each other," Seydou added.

Last week, the AIN hosted a peace forum bringing together about 100 Muslim religious jurists and doctors known as ulemas, Christian priests as well as theologians from both faiths.

"The crises are often triggered by religious leaders during their fiery preaching in the mosques and in the churches," Seydou explained.

Christian preacher Baradje Diagou said January's disturbances have heightened the need to co-exist peaceably.

"If we each keep to our own communities, it's very difficult for us to be able to understand one another," he said.

Christians are 'more wary'

This week, Roman Catholics and Christian evangelists met "around the same table" for the first time, also with social harmony in mind, said Boureima Kiomso, chairman of the Alliance of Churches and Evangelical Missions in Niger.

"Agreeing to listen to one another and to reexamine ourselves in order to move on together is very important," Kiomso added.

Inter-faith meetings may not be enough to stave off more religious unrest in Niger, where Islam has been gaining ground, with mosques being built in big towns and small villages.

Some radical Muslims do not care for a spread of Christian places of worship, notably evangelical ones, sometimes next door to their mosques.

The enrolment of youths from Niger in the ruthless Boko Haram sect, against which Niamey forms part of a regional military alliance, shows radical Islam has gained ground in the country.

Since February 6, Boko Haram and its local members have carried out attacks in the southern Diffa region, killing dozens of civilians and soldiers.

Diffa lies on the border with northeast Nigeria, where the Islamists have waged a bloody uprising since 2009.

While Niger makes ready for general elections in 2016, its security forces must also contend with the threat of jihadist movements coming across the border from Mali and Libya.

The Christian minority is "more wary" after the violence in January, Kiomso says.

"They have been forced to revise their positions and adapt to new conditions to be able to survive in Niger."

Adamou, a Muslim resident of the capital in the southwest, feels that "many Christians won the sympathy of Muslims who tolerated them badly" before the upheaval.

"I personally helped to rebuild a burned-down church," said Idi Ali, another Muslim citizen.

Pope Francis and other religious leaders at the Vatican. Photograph: AP

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"Return of the Masters" - Apr 11-12, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll)

"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy, Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems  (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it),  Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse),  Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) - (Text version)

“.   New Tolerance

Look for a softening of finger pointing and an awakening of new tolerance. There will remain many systems for different cultures, as traditions and history are important to sustaining the integrity of culture. So there are many in the Middle East who would follow the prophet and they will continue, but with an increase of awareness. It will be the increase of awareness of what the prophet really wanted all along - unity and tolerance. The angel in the cave instructed him to "unify the tribes and give them the God of Israel." You're going to start seeing a softening of intolerance and the beginning of a new way of being.

Eventually, this will create an acknowledgement that says, "You may not believe the way we believe, but we honor you and your God. We honor our prophet and we will love you according to his teachings. We don't have to agree in order to love." How would you like that? The earth is not going to turn into one belief system. It never will, for Humans don't do that. There must be variety, and there must be the beauty of cultural differences. But the systems will slowly update themselves with increased awareness of the truth of a new kind of balance. So that's the first thing. Watch for these changes, dear ones. ...."